Have you ever heard the fake laugh HA HA HA in F.R.I.E.N.D.S., The Big Bang Theory, or other similar sitcoms? Have you ever seen the flock of sheep blindly following the instructions of the master? This is called social proof. It tells you to go with the flow.
Social proof is a psychological phenomenon and a marketing concept that was first used by Robert Cialdini in his 1984 book 'Influence: Science and Practice'. It states that people learn from others and adapt their actions to behave like them. It is a human tendency to follow what others do, believing it to be right. This is obvious in children, who repeatedly mimic the actions of their parents.
Social proof is persuasive. How? For example, seeing a line of customers waiting to eat at a restaurant indicates that the restaurant is popular and must be good. This is because we prefer to trust the judgment of others, particularly when we are not certain about what to do.
Real-Life Examples:
1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Magic
Recently, you must have seen the viral picture of MSD playing Candy Crush on the plane, and his magic gave the said game a massive boost in downloads. Why did this happen? It is because we often follow the people we admire. We often feel motivated to imitate someone when we witness them doing something trustworthy and admired. Even if we wouldn't have done them otherwise, this can influence us to act in the same manner that others do.
2. Moment Marketing
Blinkit's billboard meme was recreated by various brands in India, which led to an increase in brand awareness for Blinkit. The said meme was funny, relatable, and shared by many people on social media. It is relatable to the Bollywood dialogue "doodh mangoge, kheer denge; kashmir mangoge, cheer denge" from the movie Maa Tujhe Salaam.
Types of Social Proof and Its Examples:
1. Reviews and Testimonials
Reviews consist of mixed responses, whereas testimonials consist of only positive responses for marketing purposes. Collecting product or service experiences from past customers can be a very effective way of building trust for your brand with potential customers. For better results, always put the full name of the user and his or her picture with your product.
2. Case Studies
These are detailed stories about how a product or service has helped various businesses or individuals accomplish their goals. One of the great ways to show potential customers the benefits of using your product or service. For example, Terribly Tiny Tales helped Cornetto achieve the desired target audience.
3. Celebrity Endorsements
When you make a popular face as your brand ambassador, it can give you and your brand a lot of credibility. For example Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the brand ambassador of Asian Footwear.
4. Influencer Marketing
We are constantly eager to try anything that the popular faces promote a certain product or service on social media. It is one of the great ways to attract potential customers. For example, Amazon chose Prajakti Kohli, popularly known as Mostlysane, to promote its clothing brand Amazon Fashion.
5. Trust seals
Icons that show that a website is secure or that it has been certified by a third party can help to build trust with potential customers. For example, a green closed lock or a transparent closed lock certifies that the particular site has been verified by a third party and is secured.
6. Statistics
Image of Ola Cabs
Create FOMO. Numbers can serve as effective social proof. Use them in combination with other forms of social proof to prove how much customers appreciate your product or service.
7. Awards
As you can see above, the awards and respect you have earned will provide you with an excellent brand image that you can use on your website to highlight the success of your brand.
8. User-Generated Content
It means creating a hashtag for your brand or collecting the experiences of your users and giving them a chance to be featured. It is authentic, relevant, and trustworthy. For example, Lay's India started the #SmileDekeDekho #SmileWithLays hashtag trend and gave people a chance to get featured on its site.
9. Logo Strips
Always mention the logos of the people you worked with or the platform where your brand was featured. For example, Skippi Ice Pops got featured on Shark Tank India.
Social Proof Tools
It is possible to show social proof on the website of your business through these software applications.
1. TrustPulse
This social proof tool claims to be the best social proof and FOMO app for marketers. It helps to get more sales through its software application. It leverages and automates to increase the sales ad conversions. Its features are as follows:
- Instant Lift
- Smart Targeting
- Real-time Tracking
- Flexible Design
- Creating Live Notifications
- Showcase Activities
2. UseProof
This social proof tool claims to convert visitors into leads, demos, and sales. It is one of the highly-rated social proof tools. It is a perfect fit for the :
- Founders
- Entrepreneurs
- Marketing directors
- Marketing Agencies
3. FOMO
This social proof tool is a simple, automated social proof tool for your business. It provides live social proof facility for your website. It focuses on urgent and scarce business situations. FOMO uses machine learning to improve conversions, but the potential customers are the best visitors.
4. Provely
This social proof tool claims to boost conversions by adding a live-tracking system, scarcity, urgency, credibility, live visitors, reviews, testimonials, in-line texts, live-conversion notifications within 60 seconds of creating notifications, live-sale notifications, and many other features to your website.
It is always recommended to use high-quality and credible social proof tools. Social proof is a marketing technique to attract and retain customers for a business, build trust, and increase conversions and sales. Create a brand image of your product or service in the minds of potential customers using social proof.